Page 20 of Bound by Family
“I wouldn’t want to be the woman who’s gonna cut off that guy’s dick. And did you see that other man? I think he could have broken us like twigs. They remind me a lot of your dad and his crew.”
“Crew?” I question with a laugh. “That’s one way to see it.”
“Drinks!” she yells out, making her way to one of the many stands. Behind them are women in bikinis with little bits of tape or fabric covering their lady bits. Tip jars sit out on the bar. These women are going to make bank judging from the hungry gazes around them. The ones who dance and put on a show will do even better. They catch the attention of the men and women, so it’s double the money.
We order drinks then head toward the stage, seeing a large sign that says “Demon’s Wings at seven p.m.”
“They’re here!” I may have given a little excited jump, but come on, this is why I came, just to see them. Well, to see Shane, that is. The other guys are hot, don’t get me wrong, but Shane, the lead singer … hot damn.
Leah looks at her phone. “I got a text. I need to meet him over at the beer tent.”
Okay, that’s vague. “Which beer tent? There’s, like, ten of them.”
“The one near the tire burn out.”
At Point, a band I’ve never heard of, comes on and begins playing. I really want to dance, but you never leave your friend alone. Going with her is a must.
“Alright, but I’m not going to be hanging around you two if you’re going to be all over each other.” I may have that code, but I will drag her away before any of that shit happens. Even as beautiful as she is, she’s meek on the guy side, with only a few ex-boyfriends. She may have other thoughts on it, but we shall see.
Making our way through the horde, I’m telling pretty much every single person I come in contact with sorry for bumping into them. The burn out is a hot place, and the bodies are deep on the ground level. The only way to see anything is if you go up into the bleachers, which have tons of open areas.
I pull Leah’s arm, motioning for her to follow me up the metal risers. She does, her eyes all over the place, looking for this Nick guy. This is a bad idea. I feel it in my gut, and the prickles are coming back to my skin.
Leah hunches down over her phone, typing away as we take a seat where we have room around us. Me, I’m watching the surroundings and smelling the distinct aroma of burnt rubber. Cheers from the onlookers are loud as a bike gets ready to burn out. Usually, they lock their front tire, then rev the engine in an attempt to burn the tire off the back of the bike. They even have tire companies here that give them free tires for doing it.
I cover my ears as the noise grows from the bike and the crowd. The air fills with smoke as the cheers get even louder. More hollers, pats on the back, and money exchanging hands after the announcer states the rider’s time.
Scanning the crowd, I don’t spot my father, brothers, or anyone from Sinisters. Regardless, it’s only a matter of time. They got back from their run yesterday, and we chatted a bit. I was surprised they never asked me about coming today. They left without a word, and so did I.
Looking down the way, my eyes connect with striking blue ones. The same ones I saw two days ago at the laundromat. Cooper.
He lifts a plastic cup to his lips, and I’m mesmerized by how they hold on to the rim as he drinks. His hair is disheveled, free and sexy as hell. He wears his black cut with a large group of men around him. A small smirk plays on his sexy lips, warming me from the inside out.
“There he is!” Leah says excitedly, hitting my arm.
I lose my contact with Cooper to turn and see who I’m assuming is Nick climbing up the bleachers, followed by two more men.
I lean into Leah. “If this is a set Bristyl up thing, I’m going to kill you.”
“Go with it. They don’t look bad.”
Internally, I scoff. They sure as shit don’t look like Cooper and his guys one bit. The first one has an intense stare, solely focused on my best friend. There’s something behind those eyes that I don’t like one little bit. He has on jeans, a white T-shirt, and a cut, but I can’t see who he belongs to as I scan the patches.
One of the guys behind him has broad shoulders, a long, dark beard, and short, brown hair. His face is one that I’ve seen a million times. Nothing unique or different. The other guy, though, he is different. Blond hair that looks like it could use a wash and a scruff of beard. He is very tall, but built, if the definition of his arms says anything.
“Leah, you’re more beautiful than the picture,” Nick says smoothly. I want to rip his hand off as he touches her face seductively.
Leah gets all giddy from the attention, and I immediately recant my last thought, wanting to slap her over the damn head instead.
“Hi.” Her girlish tone makes me wonder where my best friend went. What the hell? A guy comes along and she’s suddenly a teenager with a crush? Seriously?
“These are my boys, Poe and Len.” He motions to them then looks at me. “And you are?”
I still don’t like the twinkle in his eye one little bit. I’ve been around too much in my life not to notice those small tells. My father taught me well. He may have shielded me from most of this life, but one can’t live in it and not see or hear things.
“This is Bristyl,” Leah happily tells them as the scary one, Poe, comes to sit by me, and way too closely, considering there is plenty of space for his ass to move down.
I study their cuts. Unlike Sinister Sons, they don’t have a patch on the front telling what club they are from, only their names with a number. This is even more unsettling.
